Lies & Tangerines
by AESP Inc
Summary: A collection of short, romantic drabbles featuring the sniper and the navigator. [UsoppxNami]


_**Summary:** Usopp is on watch duty one night. Just a bit of fluff set somewhere between Sky Island and Water 7._

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 **Unspoken**

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"It's over!" A lone voice cried out. "I fought bravely, I killed one thousand of their strongest men and protected you all with everything I had…but it isn't enough! With my dying breath, I'll deliver the final blow and defeat their leader...emerge victorious only to succumb to an inevitable death...! Tell the world my story!" Dramatically, he threw an arm over his eyes and fell over backwards onto the deck of the Going Merry. "Tell them of my many awe-inspiring adventures...tell them everything! And most importantly, tell them that I'm...I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, everyone...your Captain is...dead..." His arm fell to his side and he turned his head away, eyes closed and tongue lolling out of his mouth for effect.

It was indeed a moving tale. Usopp wondered if anyone would buy it. He sat up, leaning back on his arms and gazing up at the stars. He, much to his dismay, had been appointed the duty of night-watch. He was reasonably certain that it was supposed to be Zoro's turn that night, however the swordsman in question had conveniently chosen the right time to fall asleep, and despite Usopp's attempts to wake him, remained so. Either that or he was just trying to get out of the chore, and the marksman wouldn't put it past him.

So naturally the first hour of the shift had been spent grumbling under his breath about lazy swordsmen not pulling their weight around the ship, among other things. Eventually he became bored and found little ways of entertaining himself, from target practice to dramatic monologues, but he was running out of things to do to pass the time. He had no idea how many hours had passed, but the moon was still rather high in the night sky and Usopp guessed it would be quite a while before his shift was over.

Suddenly a hand touched his shoulder, causing Usopp to let out a loud scream and launch himself off the deck a few feet in surprise.

"GYAHH! THEY'VE COME FOR ME!" He wailed as he landed on his rear, preparing to assume the fetal position.

"Usopp! Calm down, it's me!"

Usopp opened one eye and then immediately sighed in relief, allowing himself to relax again. "Nami, don't do that to me! I thought you were an enemy sky fighter..." He trailed off, recalling the giant bird hybrids he'd been 'fighting' during his monologue. Shame that nobody else had heard it, really.

"A what?" She sat down beside him, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"Ah, well, nevermind," he answered quickly. She would never believe that story anyway. "What are you doing out here?"

"I just figured you could use some company," she replied matter-of-factly. "Besides, it's a nice night, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah, I guess so..." Usopp could have sworn that there was the slightest hint of shyness in her tone, although the reason for it was completely beyond him. He thought maybe she was just sleepy.

Actually, it was a little odd that she would be up at this hour at all on a regular night, especially since she didn't have to be. Nami was not one for rising before the sun, but perhaps it was just that she couldn't sleep. She sighed in content, following his gaze up to the stars.

For a while they simply sat there beside one another, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. It was rarely this quiet aboard the Going Merry; usually Luffy would be bouncing around like a wild man and Zoro would be arguing with Sanji when sleep wasn't preoccupying him. Usopp, when he wasn't telling his infamous tall tales, could be found in his workshop tinkering with a new invention while Chopper would often be roughhousing with Luffy. Robin was probably the only one of them who didn't contribute to the noise level.

As Nami continued to watch the sky, seemingly lost in her thoughts, Usopp stole a few glances at her from the corner of his eye. Something about her seemed a little different that night, and he got the feeling that maybe she really did enjoy his company. After all, they were the only two of the crew who weren't either absurdly powerful, possessed incredible inhuman abilities, or both. Usopp always felt that he could relate to Nami best, and she seemed to be the only other person who understood the meaning of the word DANGER. He couldn't count the number of times they had screamed, cried, fretted and ran for their lives together. Usopp also hadn't failed to notice that he seemed to be the only male member of the crew that she seemed able to talk seriously with.

"Oi, Nami..." He decided to break the comfortable silence in favor of a little conversation.

"Yeah?" She diverted her eyes from the stars to meet his. "What is it?"

"You're being awful quiet," he stated rather bluntly. "What's with you tonight? Did you have a bad dream? Don't worry," he said with a lopsided grin, jabbing his chest with his thumb, "Captain Usopp-sama will protect you!"

Nami let out a sudden short laugh, and before Usopp knew what was happening, she had leaned over and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. By the time he could move his hand to touch the spot her lips had brushed against, Nami had already drawn away as if she hadn't done it at all.

Usopp blinked in confusion. He hadn't just imagined that, had he?

"N-N-Nami," he stuttered, his face flushing several shades of red. "What was that for? ...Hey. You're not charging me for that, are you?!" After all, with her, he was never quite sure what to expect.

"Of course not!" She crossed her arms, indignant, and looked away as if even she didn't know why she did it. "Don't make a big deal out of it, jeez. I just did it because I felt like it!" Nami let her arms fall to her sides, the momentary aggravation quickly dissipating. She was quiet for a long moment before she softly said, "Usopp...you're the only one here who really understands me, you know?"

Usopp scratched the back of his head. "So you WERE scared?"

Nami's face pulled into a scowl. "Idiot!"

"Okay, okay, I'm just kidding!" He added, although a bit too late.

A rather awkward silence was beginning to settle over them now, and they both went back to staring up at the stars. After a minute of complete silence, she still hadn't said anything more, so Usopp did the first thing that came to his mind; as if by pure instinct, he reached for one of her hands, hesitating for a moment before finally covering it with his own in what he hoped would be some sort of reassuring gesture. Nami didn't respond, but she didn't object either. With a pounding heart and a face so hot that Sanji could probably cook an egg on his nose, the marksman curled his fingers around hers, determined to get a reaction.

And he did; she turned to face him, gracing him with a small smile, and squeezed back.


End file.
